Sage herb (Salvia officinalis L.) was extracted at supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) conditions with carbon dioxide at different parameters and the extracts tested on their antioxidant activity (AA). SFE of sage herb at 35 MPa pressure was found to be an effective method to obtain pure extracts. The yields of the extracts were substantially increased by using 1% of entrainer solvent ethanol. The fractionation of sage extract was a complex procedure in terms of extract distribution between separators operating at various pressure and temperature conditions. It was also proved by testing the AA of the extracts in rapeseed oil. The effect of the extracts on the rapeseed oil weight gain varied in a wide range (from 'very low' to 'high') depending on the fractionation conditions. Preliminary results showed that to obtain more effective antioxidant fractions separation steps should be started at 10 MPa lower pressure than that used for the extraction.

The antioxidant power of acetone oleoresin (AO), deodorized acetone extract (DAE) and methanol extract (ME) isolated from Moldavian dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) leaves and flowering parts was tested in stripped corn oil and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging system. The activity of ME or rosmarinic acid mixtures with α‐tocopherol was also determined in corn oil. The results showed that methanol was a considerably more effective solvent to extract antioxidative substances from dragonhead than acetone. Dragonhead ME was efficient both in retarding corn oil peroxidation and in scavenging DPPH free radicals. The effectiveness of dragonhead AO isolated from the whole herb and DAE isolated from deodorized herb was significantly lower. Their activities were similar in DPPH radical scavenging, whereas DAE was more efficient in stripped corn oil than AO. Dragonhead ME was fractionated by thin

Type A trichothecenes (primarily T-2 and HT-2 toxins) are common fungal metabolites found in a wide range of grains and other field crops grown in temperate climatic zones. By acting as potent inhibitors of protein synthesis, T-2 and HT-2 exert adverse effects particularly against rapidly proliferating tissues, including the bone marrow, the immune system and epithelial cells. Based on toxicity studies in laboratory and farm animals, a temporary tolerable daily intake for the sum of T-2 and HT-2 has been issued in the European Union. However, exposure assessments suggest that the combined intake of these natural compounds exceeds in many cases the proposed threshold. To further protect the consumers, it is therefore necessary to screen a large number of food samples for parts per billion levels of both T-2 and HT-2. Towards that goal, we are the first to report that these two type A trichothecenes induce fast and high-amplitude transcriptional changes in cultured human breast cancer cells. This specific response involving marker gene inductions by more than 1000-fold has been exploited to develop a real-time PCR-based screening method that displays a limit of detection of 5 ng g(-1) for T-2 and 10 ng g(-1) for HT-2. The practicability of this bioassay is demonstrated by its application to the detection of type A trichothecenes in different food matrices.

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